


The Reformulation of Love Triangles

by doumekiss (Odd_Ellie)



Category: Cobra Kai (Web Series), Karate Kid (Movies)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Feelings Realization, Jealousy, Love Triangles, M/M, Post-Season/Series 02, Unhealthy Behavior, middle life crisis
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:47:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26814598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Odd_Ellie/pseuds/doumekiss
Summary: Once again Johnny, Daniel and Ali find themselves in a love triangle.
Relationships: Daniel LaRusso/Johnny Lawrence, Johnny Lawrence/Ali Mills
Comments: 20
Kudos: 51





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> English is not my first language, sorry for any mistakes

That was a bad idea, Johnny knew that from the moment he saw the message on Facebook.

Ali's message saying that she was in town and would love to see him and catch up. If it had been a few months ago he would have said yes immediately, he would have told her about his dojo and his students, about how his life finally seemed to be going in the right direction.

But now he was in the same place where he started, actually worse because he had dragged other people, people he cared about with him. Miguel was in the hospital and Robby was in prison awaiting trial.

But the stupid facebook had warned Ali that he had seen the message (seriously why do that?) And she said:

_Come on Johnny, it will be fun._

And he said yes, because he was never good at denying her anything. And it wasn't like he could ruin your life any more, right?

He shaved, put on his less dirty shirt, and went to the bar where they agreed to meet. And there she was, still as beautiful as he remembered, and she smiled when she saw him and gave him a hug. They sat at a table in the back and started talking.

To his relief, she didn't ask much about his life at first, she just talked about her own. About her work at the hospital, her home and her friends. She did not mention her husband however, and Johnny noticed that she was not wearing a ring on her hand. A little later they started talking about old times, and it was nice. Fun, really. Fleeing to the past always felt better when the present was so depressing.

Then, as if something was pulling him, he turned his head towards the entrance to the bar and saw Daniel enter. Daniel LaRusso in front of him for the first time since the hospital. Their eyes met and the expression on Daniel's face was the same the last time they were in front of each other, one of complete misery.

"Hi Daniel" Ali said.

And only then Daniel seemed to notice her. A part of him waited for Daniel to smile and come and hug her like he had hugged Johnny when they first saw each other again at the dealership, but Daniel just seemed surprised by her presence.

He then turned around and left the bar.

“I'm sorry, it's probably my fault. Our breakup wasn't exactly friendly”Ali said.

"Worse than ours?"

"Actually yes. I crashed his car, and I told him that I was in love with someone else ”

"Wow"

"Yeah"

“Anyway, it wasn't you who made him leave, it was me. This past year our lives have been tangled in the worst possible ways"

"How ?"

And so he told her. Everything about the last year, how he had opened his dojo and how Daniel had done everything to sabotage his business since then, even opened his own dojo without charging for classes and pitted his students against his. He talked to her about Kreese and how he lost everything he had built in the last year and he talked about Miguel and Robby. He was managing to remain somewhat neutral in his tone until he talked about them, his two boys, the ones he had failed in almost every way possible, one who was being held by the police awaiting trial and another who was in the hospital in a coma with no sign of waking up.

Johnny hated crying, especially crying in front of other people. And crying in front of Ali was a nightmare he had never even considered. But there he was. Just as she was. And to his surprise she looked at him with compassion but not as if he were pathetic.

“I'm sorry that all of this has happened. I can't help feeling a bit responsible for the situation between you and Daniel being what it is today ”

"You shouldn't, it has nothing to do with you"

And it really wasn't her fault, it wasn't even in their high school days. The first interaction he had with Daniel on the beach that night so many years ago had been because of her, but over the months leading up to the tournament the thing between them had become something different and unique that was only tangentially related to her.

After leaving the bar they walked to her hotel and Ali hugged him again and said:

"I would like to see you again before I leave"

"That would be nice"

He watched her go inside the hotel thinking that she was probably just being polite. He had ruined everything by getting all emotional after seeing Daniel, their meeting should have been just old friends having fun talking about the past. No discussions about his super depressing present. But maybe it was better to be over now, if it weren't for LaRusso it would have been something else. He was never good enough for Ali, it was only a matter of time before she saw that again.

Johnny went home and lay down on the couch and fell asleep right there until there was a knock on the door.

He opened the door and saw that it was still dark and he saw that Daniel was on the other side.

"She is there ?" Daniel said, his breath smelling of alcohol.

"Who ?"

Daniel looked at him like he was an idiot.

"Who ? Ali, of course ”

“No, she is not here. What are you doing here ?"

“I'm here Johnny to tell you that what you're doing is not cool. She's married, she's happy, and you just decide to show up one day out of nowhere and start ruining things for her ”

"For your information she was the one who asked me to meet her”

"You must have done something to make her go after you without giving a shit that she has a husband and children"

"What are you even talking about ? She doesn't even have children”

“I...whatever. Just try not to ruin any more marriages" Daniel said and started walking away.

Johnny watched his misaligned steps and how he tried to put the keys to open his car door without much success. He walked over to Daniel and took the keys from his hand.

"What are you doing ? Give me back !"

"No, you're too drunk to drive" Johnny said, raising the key high in his hand.

“What I do is none of your business. Give me my keys ”Daniel said trying to get the keys.

"No. You have two children who do not deserve to be orphaned”

Daniel stopped. And he said, still very angry:

"Fine"

"Sleep on my couch, you can drive in the morning"

They walked back to the apartment and Daniel sat on the couch.

Johnny took a large glass of water from the kitchen and brought it over to Daniel.

"Drink it"

"Why ?"

"Because you need to put water in your system so you don't have a monstrous hangover when you wake up"

Daniel looked at him seeming confused.

"Trust me, I have a lot of experience in getting drunk"

"Thank you" Daniel said and picked up the glass.

Johnny, watching him drink, noticing that for the first time the ring that had been in his hand since the day they met again was no longer there.

"How much did you drink?"

“Some martinis, a beer”

Johnny laughed.

"What's so funny ?"

"The fact that just that is enough to get you like this. Such a light weight"

"Go to hell Johnny"

“You too, LaRusso”

"I am already there"

“If that is the case then I guess I am there too. So at least you have company”

For a moment they just looked at each other. Then Johnny went to his room and got a blanket and gave it to Daniel.

"Sleep, things will look better in the morning"

"I doubt it"

"Whatever"

Johnny then went to his room, locked the door, lay on his bed and fell asleep thinking about hands without rings, Ali's hand, and Daniel's hand.


	2. Chapter 2

Daniel's whole body was aching, and his head felt like it was going to explode. He opened his eyes for a second and immediately closed them again for the pain the light caused. In the half second he spent with his eyes open it became clear that he was not at home, or even at the hotel where he had checked in after Amanda said she thought it best for him to stay away for the next few days.

It looked familiar however, he had been there before. He had his answer when he heard a familiar voice say:

"LaRusso, did you throw up on my blanket?"

He opened his eyes and found Johnny looking at him from above.

"Uh?"

"It was practically new, I bought it like four years ago!"

Daniel sat on the couch, rubbing his forehead, trying to ease the pain.

“Can you stop shouting? My head is killing me”

"You should have drunk more water like I told you to do"

"What am I doing here ?"

"Oh so you don't remember getting drunk, showing up at my house at three in the morning and accusing me of being a homewrecker?"

Daniel felt himself go pale. No matter how drunk he got, he wouldn't have told Johnny about that, he had decided long ago that whatever he felt was none of his business. He wouldn't have. Right ?

"If you're going to throw up again go to the bathroom and throw up there like a normal person" Johnny said.

Daniel didn't have to throw up, but he walked away and locked himself in the bathroom. He splashed water on his face and memories of the day before started to float in his mind.

.

.

.

The first part of the day was easy to remember. He went to work and then had lunch with his wife, and Amanda asked why he was acting like he was at a funeral. And he got angry that she said that, and replied that he had given up teaching karate as she asked, what more did she want? And Amanda said that she wanted him to act like he was there, that he acted like the man she had married, they had had that argument before and he thought he knew how it was going to end, but then Amanda said something she had never said before:

_“It's not just the job Daniel, it's between you and me, all the time I feel like you don't want to be here, to be with me. And I'm tired of being with someone who doesn't want to be with me, it's making me miserable. Be honest, are you even still in love with me? ”_

He should have said yes, he should have said that of course he was and how she could even ask that. But he didn't say, the words stuck in his throat. And he knew why that was the case.

Amanda started to cry, and when he went to put his arms around her she pulled away before he touched her.

" _Stay away from me, from the house, at least for the next few days, I need to think"_

And he didn't go back to the dealership that day, he packed a suitcase and checked in a hotel. And he sat on the bed and asked room service to bring him some martinis while he thought about the last year, every second hating himself for not being able to tell Amanda the right thing, and even more for not feeling the right thing.

But stronger than his hatred for himself was his hatred for Johnny Lawrence. Because it really was all his fault. Since Johnny had reopened Cobra Kai he had occupied most of his thoughts. In fact this had been the case since the moment he entered the dealership weeks before that, but if it weren't for Johnny deciding to bring Cobra Kai back Daniel would have eventually forgotten all about it the same way he had done his whole life whenever he had started to think about Johnny Lawrence. 

Sometimes he would not think about him for months, but when he thought of Johnny in the past it never took too much to bring him to his thoughts. It happened when he saw skulls on Halloween, or people wearing red jackets. It happened when he saw blond men passing out of the corner of his eye and he automatically turned his head to see their faces and felt a strange wave of disappointment when he realized that they had the wrong face. Sometimes it happened just from looking at the sky and thinking it was the same shade of blue as Johnny Lawrence's eyes.

And Daniel knew why it happened. As much as he wanted to not know.

Daniel knew that occasionally he was attracted to men, but he had decided long ago that it didn't matter, it was easy to ignore that part of himself. He had a beautiful wife that he loved, and two great children. A job that paid well and brought him respect in the community. A good life. The things he thought about other men were irrelevant and very easy to ignore. Or at least this used to be the case until Johnny decided to show up again and ruin everything.

He felt like he was going crazy in that room alone so he got up and walked down the street until he found a bar where he never had been before and where probably no one he would know would go to drink in peace. And first thing he saw on entering the bar was Johnny Lawrence's stupid face on the other side of the bar looking at him. Clearly the universe hated him and wanted him to suffer. And he received a confirmation of that theory in the next second when he heard a female voice say:

_"Hi Daniel"_

And he finally looked at the woman sitting with Johnny, and saw the face of Ali Mills in front of him for the first time in over thirty years. Ali who was his first love, Ali who had hurt him more than any other girlfriend had.

And there they were again, Johnny and Ali together and him looking at them from afar. And it felt like he still was that same boy just arrived from New Jersey watching them. Johnny and Ali, so beautiful, so perfect, and so different from himself. And he wished he could tell his teenage self to stop looking, to not get in the middle of them, that in the end he was just going to get a lot of bruises and a broken heart. But he couldn't because it had already happened and he spent his entire life thinking about them. All he could do was walk away from them this time and so he did.

He went back to his hotel room, and without thinking he called Amanda because she was the only person he wanted to talk about what he just saw, but she didn't answer. And he finally cried, and he didn't cry because she was the mother of his children or his business partner, he cried because she was his best friend, his only real friend really. And people talked about staying friends after divorces, but the best he had ever seen was people being friendly, not really friends. And he took off his wedding ring and put it on the bedside table because there was no point in continuing to use it because he knew it was over, Amanda respected herself too much to remain married to a man who was not in love with her.

Daniel thought of Ali and Johnny probably still together. Maybe kissing at that very moment. 

The last time he had looked her up her online, she was still married. But maybe that wouldn’t matter, Johnny would give her his smug smile, that one he gave sometimes that was so annoying and so sexy. And she would look at him and think about the life they could have had together if Johnny was just a little less of a jerk, if Johnny was someone she could love without feeling that she was betraying on a part of herself. And she would think screw it and kiss him.

Once in the year they dated she mentioned that Johnny had been a bad boyfriend but that he was always an excellent kisser. And the comment had angered Daniel a lot, but he also asked her to show him exactly what Johnny did because he wanted to please her. And she showed him, and that was the first time, but certainly not the last, when he thought about what it would be like to be kissed by Johnny Lawrence.

Johnny could certainly ruin Ali's marriage if he wanted to, he had ruined his without even trying. 

Or maybe he tried. 

Maybe he could see through Daniel, see all the desires he tried to keep hidden, and he thought it was funny to make things worse for him. It looked like something a Cobra Kai guy would do.

And after a few hours brooding over those thoughts in his head he drove to Johnny's house and now he was there.

.

.

.

Daniel washed his face and brushed his teeth. A part of him wanted to remain locked in that bathroom and never see another person again, but he unlocked the door and went to the room where Johnny was.

"Where are my keys?"

“You should eat something before you drive. There are tomatoes in the fridge ”

"You eat tomatoes for breakfast?"

"It's good for hangovers"

Daniel looked at him suspiciously.

"Trust me, I usually keep some just for that purpose"

"You just want to make me look like an idiot"

“Yes, Daniel, you discovered my evil plan to get back at you by making you eat a tomato. Seriously man, do you think before you open your mouth? ”

"You are one to talk"

"Yeah ... but man I think it would be so good if I was the way you see me, like this guy who always has a plan to screw things up for you"

"Are you trying to say that you never tried to screw things up for me and that it's all in my head?"

“No, I tried it a few times. But not as much as you might think, most of the time I have no idea what I'm doing man ”

Daniel was silent so Johnny continued:

“You really should eat something before you go. Driving on an empty stomach is not good ”

Daniel remained silent.

"What ?" Johnny asked.

"Why are you being nice to me?"

This time it was Johnny who remained silent for a moment as if considering the question.

“I don’t know, you look so pathetic it’s making me forget that I hate you”

Daniel narrowed his eyes. Johnny laughed.

"I think it's actually because seeing me like this is funny for you" Daniel said.

"Maybe so"

“Still, thanks for not letting me driving yesterday, and for letting me sleep here ”

“I only accept thanks in the form of new blankets. I'm serious LaRusso I want a new one to replace the one you destroyed ”

“Okay, I'm going to buy you a new blanket. But you could have called me an uber instead of making me sleep here, if you had your blanket would be intact”

"I don't know how to call an uber"

"Really ?"

"Miguel was going to install the app and teach me how to use it one of these days, but, you know"

"I know. How is he? ”

"Still the same, still in a coma and if he wakes up he will need a lot of physical therapy"

"His other wounds healed?"

“I'm not sure, his mother forbade me to visit him. His grandmother is the one who is keeping me informed of his condition ”

"I'm sorry, I really am"

"Really ?"

“Of course. I never thought things would go so far”

"Me neither"

Johnny looked at him seeming a little hesitant and said:

"Another thing I thought about doing was calling your wife to pick you up but I didn't have her number"

"She wouldn't have come even if you called"

“Did you two have a fight? Is that why you’re like this? ”

“More than a fight. I think my marriage is over ”

"For real ?"

"Yes"

“Damn man, I'm sorry. I always thought your wife was cool”

"She is" Daniel said looking up trying to stop the tears from falling into his eyes.

When he turned his gaze back to Johnny it seemed as if he hadn't noticed his tears, or at least as if he had he was pretending he didn’t and Daniel felt so grateful for that.

"Give me my keys please"

"Here" Johnny said, taking the keys out of his pocket and placing them in Daniel's hands.

Daniel walked to the front door but when it was time to open he hesitated for a second and turned back to Johnny and said:

"Thanks for not being as much of a jerk as I know you could have been today"

"I told you LaRusso I only accept thanks in the form of new blankets"

Daniel rolled his eyes and left. 


	3. Chapter 3

There was something very comforting about being in hotels, Ali thought. The beautiful, deeply impersonal rooms seem to give her the space to just stop and think.

Just be.

Her cell phone made a noise indicating that a new message had arrived. She went to look a bit afraid it was going to be someone from Denver wanting to know what the hell she was doing. Her fear passed when she saw that the text came from Johnny, responding to the text she had sent shortly after waking up saying that she had had fun the night before.

In general she hadn't thought much about Johnny Lawrence over the years, but in the last month since the first message she had received from him Johnny had been often on her mind. That first message from him had been kind of funny and sweet and made her feel the best kind of nostalgia, it had brought a smile to her face, and she realized that she hadn't smiled in a long time. The past few years with Gregory had not been good, and the past few months had been almost unbearable, so many fights and so much ego and accumulated resentment, enough to make things like forgotten birthdays seem so silly.

She didn't respond to that message right away, starting to talk to an ex when she was having marital problems was clearly a trap, but she kept coming back to reread the message many times, to the point where she almost knew the words by heart now.

And after the last fight with Gregory, the one that had finally put an end to everything, she replied. And she decided to make use of her accumulated vacation days from the hospital and booked a plane ticket back to California. She knew that was something very  _ Crazy Ex Girlfriend _ to do, but it had been an impulse and one that at least so far she hadn't regretted indulging. The last night in his company had been fun and she wanted more.

She put on her bathing suit and went to the hotel pool for a swim.

And when she got there, she saw Daniel LaRusso lying on one of the pool loungers. He was wearing sunglasses, but even so she could see that he didn't look well. Even worse than he had looked at the bar the night before.

“Daniel? What are you doing here ?"

He seemed a little surprised to see her, but he quickly composed himself and said:

“I am not following you if that is what you are implying. I didn't even know you were staying here. It was just a coincidence ”

“That wasn't what I was implying, why are you here and not at your house? As far as I know you live in this area ”

“I am having some problems at home. And you ?"

"The same"

“They don't have hotels in Denver ?”

"I thought a change of air would be good for me"

"Yeah, right"

"What do you mean by that ?"

“I saw you last night. With him"

Ali rolled her eyes.

"Are you really jealous that I contacted Johnny and not you?"

Daniel took off his glasses, and in his eyes she saw anger. He seemed as angry as the last time they had talked on the night of the prom.

“Not really Ali. I just think what you're doing is wrong. His life is not going well lately, you know? You showing up and giving him false hopes will only make things worse for him in the long run”

“Actually Daniel, I know that Johnny’s life is not going well, he told me that, and from what he told me a lot of the blame for that being the case it’s yours. Seriously man, opening a dojo just to compete with his and use your connections to increase his rent? Who are you ? The Daniel I met would never have done anything like this ”

"The circumstances are a little more complicated than you think"

"Okay, so explain to me how your actions are justified"

“I owe you no explanations Ali”

"And I owe you no explanations too Daniel"

“Yes, you don't. Goodbye Ali, it was so nice to see you again. You are exactly as I remember”

He then got up and went into the building, probably back to his room.

Ali went into the pool and took a dip, the water was good, but suddenly being in that hotel didn't seem as comforting as it had been when she woke up.


End file.
